Category: KJ Ofahengaue

Rock-Solid Parmar Takes MCI Title

Post author By Charlie Hanger
Post date March 19, 2023

Shiv Parmar is the first Texas player to win 13-18 boys division at the Mack Champ Invitational.

Shiv Parmar is the first Texas player to win the 13-18 boys division at the Mack Champ Invitational.

Shiv Parmar held off defending champ KJ Ofahengaue to win the third annual Mack Champ Invitational on Sunday.

Parmar, a member of the class of 2025 from Selma, TX, was incredibly consistent over the weekend, making five birdies and just one bogey over his last 36 holes. His three day total of 4-under 212 was good enough to beat Ofahengaue by a shot in the 13-18 division.

In the 12-and-under division, Houston native Isaiah Diaz won with a final round 65, the low round of the tournament.

Ofanhengaue was trying to become the second family member to win at Memorial Park Golf Course this season. His cousin Tony Finau won the PGA Tour’s Cadence Bank Houston Open on the same course in November.

Trey Rusthoven of St. Peters, MO, shot 70 on Sunday to finish third at 2 under. Roman Solomon, who won the inaugural Mack Champ Invitational in 2021, was fourth at 1 over, and Awesome Burnett rounded out the top five at 2 over after shooting 69, the lowest final round score in the 13-18 division.

Both of the seniors in the top 5 will be playing college golf next year, Ofahengaue at Utah Tech and Rusthoven at Central Michigan.

This was the third year in a row the Mack Champ Invitational was held at Memorial Park in Houston, but it was the first time that it was an all-boys event. The Mack Champ Invitational for Girls will be played April 13-15 in The Woodlands, TX, at The Club at Carlton Woods, site of The Chevron Championship, the first major of the LPGA Tour season.

Isaiah Diaz KJ Ofahengaue Shiv Parmar Tournament News

Parmar and Ofahengaue Tied Heading Into Final Round

Post author By Charlie Hanger
Post date March 18, 2023

Shiv Parmar

Shiv Parmar had three birdies and no bogeys on Saturday.

KJ Ofahengaue and Shiv Parmar are tied heading into the final round of the Mack Champ Invitational at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston.

Ofahengaue (2023), from Lehi, UT, finished with consecutive bogeys on Saturday but still managed a 2-under 70 to get to 3 under for the tournament. Parmar (2025), from Selma, TX, fired a 3-under 69 to go with Friday’s 72.

Morgan Riley (2025) of Raleigh, NC, is just a shot back at 2 under. Trey Rusthoven (2023) of St. Peters, MO, is even. Roman Solomon (2025), who won the inaugural Mack Champ Invitational in 2021, is 1 over. (Full leaderboard.)

After a cut on Saturday afternoon, the low 50% of the field plus ties in the 13-18 division will advance to Sunday’s final round.

In the 12-and-under division, Isaiah Diaz of Del Rio, TX, shot 77 on Friday and 78 on Saturday to lead Houston native Luke An by 7 shots heading into the final round.

KJ Ofahengaue Tournament News

Defending Champ Ofahengaue Leads After First Round

Post author By Charlie Hanger
Post date March 17, 2023

KJ Ofahengaue is proving once again that he can handle tough conditions.

On a day that featured rain, high winds, clouds and temperatures in the mid-50s, Ofahengaue was consistent, making four birdies and three bogeys to finish the day at one-under 71. He won last year’s tournament with a gutsy performance on another gusty day at Memorial Park Golf Course.

He has a one-shot lead over Shiv Parmar of Selma, TX. Morgan Riley of Raleigh, NC, and Trey Rusthoven of St. Peters, MO, are two back at one over. (See the full leaderboard here.)

Ofahengaue has come from Lehi, UT, to play in all three Mack Champ Invitationals, and he hasn’t come alone. This year’s field also features his younger brothers Toa (class of 2025) and Jordan (class of 2029). His older brother Helaman played in 2021 and is now on the football team at the University of Utah. But the most famous athlete in the family is their cousin, PGA Tour star Tony Finau.

KJ will graduate this year and has committed to play college golf at Utah Tech.

In the 12-and-under division, Isaiah Diaz of Del Rio, TX, shot 77 to take the early lead. Houston native Luke An is six shots back after shooting 83.

The second round gets underway at 8am Saturday, and the final round will be played on Sunday after a Saturday night cut.

Cisco Junior Series presented by APGA TOUR and Cameron Champ Foundation KJ Ofahengaue Matthew Vital

Vital Wins Third Stop in Cisco Junior Series in a Playoff

Post author By Charlie Hanger
Post date October 1, 2022

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Alona Avery Cameron Champ KJ Ofahengaue Tournament News

Ofahengaue and Avery Hang On for Victory in Tough Conditions

Post author By Charlie Hanger
Post date March 20, 2022

Alona Avery and KJ Ofahengaue with Cameron Champ — Alona Avery and KJ Ofahengaue, the 2022 MCI champs, with Cameron Champ.

Alona Avery and KJ Ofahengaue won the boys and girls titles at the second annual Mack Champ Invitational with steady performances down the stretch under tough, windy conditions.

The wind was howling all day at Memorial Park Golf Course in Houston, with gusts reaching 45 miles per hour.

Cameron Champ was on hand to watch the final round and was impressed with the juniors’ ability to overcome the conditions.

“It was amazing,” he said. “This is a great golf course. With this wind and these conditions, it can make an easy golf course extremely hard, and a hard golf course even harder. It just showed how good they are.”

Avery, from Riverside, CA, shot 70-78 for a 4-over total and edged Shyla Brown of McKinney, TX, in a one-hole playoff in the girls 13-18 division. Avery’s sister Amari won last year’s MCI and now plays at the University of Southern California.

Brown appeared to have the tournament locked up, but she finished with a double bogey on 17 and a bogey on 18 to fall back into a tie with Avery, who parred the final three holes. Avery then won the playoff on No. 1, making par 5 to Brown’s 7.

Ofahengaue, from Lehi, UT, finished with five straight pars to shoot 73. His 1-over total for the tournament was good enough to beat Trey Rusthoven from St. Peters, MO, by a shot. Roman Solomon, last year’s boys champ, finished five shots back after shooting 79 on Sunday.

Ofahengaue is a cousin of Tony Finau’s and had two brothers playing in this year’s MCI.

Axel Monssoh from Miami, who also won his age division last year, shot 5-over 77 for an 8-over total to win the boys 11-12 division by six shots. Myla Robinson from Eastvale, CA, won the girls 11-12 division with a 10-over total after shooting 75 on Sunday.

The Mack Champ Invitational was created to honor the legacy of PGA Tour pro Cameron Champ’s grandfather, who introduced Cameron to the game. The tournament seeks to identify and boost the prospects of elite junior golfers of diverse backgrounds. This year’s field had players from all over the country as well and England and the Bahamas, and 15 players in the field have commitments to play college golf.

Asked what his grandfather would think if he were alive to see this tournament, Champ said Mack would have been thrilled.

“He’d be laughing, cracking up. He’d be so excited. I don’t think he ever would have dreamed of anything like this happening in his name. For us to continue his legacy and to create a fun environment for the kids to come enjoy and hang out, it’s just awesome to see.”

Myla Robinson and Axel Monssoh with Cameron Champ after their victories.